City Working On Places To Play

SEMINOLE RECREATION

January 8, 2000|By Steven D. Barnes Sentinel Correspondent

WINTER SPRINGS - Sports fans in Winter Springs have a new reason to cheer - long-awaited improvements planned for several of the city's parks are under way. Some are expected to be completed as early as February.

Major renovations include the construction of a new concession stand and restroom facility at Central Winds Park. The 1,100-square-foot building is being built near the soccer fields to allow fans to stay closer to the action. The walls were going up this week, and construction is expected to be completed by late February.

A fourth soccer practice field is being laid out at Trotwood Park, and the three existing baseball fields are being turned to face away from each other. A pavilion will be built where the baseball diamonds meet, and new sod and irrigation systems are being installed on the baseball and soccer fields.

Trotwood will also get a 37-foot fishing pier and two new playgrounds. Both the tot and youth play areas will be surfaced with FIBAR, which is made from recycled automobile tires. The surface is designed to be safer than traditional mulch surfaces and easier for wheelchairs to navigate. The playground equipment was also designed with lower than normal ramps and special hand grips to make it more user-friendly for disabled children.

The park will also get nearly 2,000 feet of concrete walkways, which will link the playing fields to two new picnic pavilions and three new paved parking areas for more than 140 cars.

Work at Trotwood is also expected to be completed by late February.

Sam Smith Park will also get two new playgrounds similar to the ones at Trotwood, two picnic pavilions, sidewalks and a paved parking area for up to 12 cars. That project should be complete by late March.

The improvements are the first in a series of overhauls that will also spruce up Moss, Sunshine, Torcaso and Winding Hollow parks. Plans for the renovations have been in the works for years, but it was not until last August that the City Commission approved the $2.65 million expenditure. Park officials expect all of the improvements to be finished by September.

The Winter Springs Parks and Recreation Department is planning grand opening festivities for the parks.

Parks and recreation director Chuck Pula said he is excited about the project, which he said will provide Winter Springs residents with greater opportunities for outdoor recreation.